


Unsteady

by Skadisdottir



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: American Reader, Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:48:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26801692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skadisdottir/pseuds/Skadisdottir
Summary: An American Professor, a Thunderbird from Ilvermorny comes to teach Divination at Hogwarts,13 years after the battle. Life has gone back to normal, but there is still residual tension amongst the students and professors. Determined to not allow the war to change how she sees the people around her, Reader opens her heart to the Malfoy boy.((We don't talk about Cursed Child in this house.))
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	1. Arrival

If there was something I was expecting from the English Wizarding School, it was a castle of immense proportions, what I wasn’t expecting was to see what looked like a massive compound of a building. The carriage dipped in the air, landing with a thump on the trailway as we clipped past upper year students starting the short walk to the main hall. I had to contain myself from pressing my face against the window. It wasn’t professional of a Professor to gawk. Ilvermorny was a castle, that much is true, but there was something about Hogwarts. Maybe it was because both my parents were No-mages, and anything that had to do with magic not only amazed me, but delighted me to no end despite me being well into my 30s, but seeing the school I had heard so much about growing up in the Wizarding World was… amazing. 

When the carriage stopped, I thanked the driver kindly, and then walked up to the strange black animal pulling it, patting the side of it’s flank as I searched the crowd for the woman I was looking for. I spotted her, watching me with a sad look on her face. Trying not to think much of it, I smiled brightly and hurried up to her, my long dark blue circle skirt and white blouse (the adult version of my Ilvermorny robes) billowing out behind me in the warm late summer air. 

“Professor McGonagal!” I said cheerily, earning a few head turns at my decidedly _not_ english accent. 

The ancient woman smiled tersely, yet there was a warmth to her eyes that most likely wouldn’t transfer to her face while students were around. “Professor (L/n), welcome. How was your journey?” She asked, extending her hand to me. I took it in mine lightly, sighing deeply at the clean air, so different from what I was used to in America. 

“Lovely! Had a bit of a snag getting from the Ministry in New York to London, but we managed.” I turned, looking back at the creature pulling the carriage, my brow furrowing when so many passed it without even paying it any mind, save a few of the oldest students. “I didn’t want to sound silly and ask the driver, but what is that pulling the carriage?” 

The woman smiled sadly, placing a hand on my shoulder and turning me down the road to get me to walk with her. “That, my dear, would be a Thestral.” I tilted my head, not knowing what that was. 

“Oh, interesting.” I replied, trying to act more informed than I was. “Uhm… what.. Uh-” I tried to voice my question, wanting to know everything about them that I could. The Americas had their own sets of creatures, but we were more known for the creatures of the Native people, and a Thestral had never crossed my desk. 

“I know very little about them,” I didn’t want to assume, but to me it sounded like she was lying. “Might I suggest reading Professor Newt Scamander’s collection of magical beasts?” I nodded, not letting my ability to read her deception cross my features. 

“I’ll report back to you when I do.” She nodded, collecting her hands in front of her as we walked. 

We entered the main building of the school, and I felt a bittersweet kind of sadness as the resident ghosts gathered along the walls and above us, waving and greeting the young students entering. I didn’t dare mention the younger looking ones, I knew the history, I knew the reason they were here. “Here is where I leave you, Professor Lupin?” A spectre appeared, followed closely by a young woman, who nodded to me happily. I returned it, and then turned my attention to the spirit before me. “Would you mind showing our new Professor to the Divination classroom?” The man smiled brightly, then nodded. 

“Of course! Welcome! We heard the new professor was going to be American.” I shuffled my feet, not loving the attention that I was gaining from my origins, but I followed dutifully behind them as they led me to a set of staircases that seemed to shift, occupied or not. 

“So, if you’re American, and from the colours you’re wearing I’m going to guess. Ilvermorny?” I smiled brightly, pulling my cloak aside to expose my house pin, a beautiful red and gold Thunderbird. “And a Thunderbird no less!” The woman responded. “You owe me!” She said, pointing to the man who gave her a loving smile. 

“Yes, Tonks, you guessed she would be Thunderbird.” He lamented, obviously having made a bet to my house. Her name clicked in my head then and I looked to her with wide eyes. 

“You’re Nymphadora Tonks! And you’re Remus Lupin! Of course! How could I have been so silly.” I shook my head, and the two of them looked between each other with a sad sort of acceptance. “I read about you in one of my history lessons.” I smiled gratefully. “You two are heroes.” They didn’t respond, and I at first worried I had said something wrong, but the warm smile they gave each other eased my worries. 

We somehow managed to make our way up the stairs, landing finally on the uppermost towers, where a ladder like contraption descended from the ceiling. I eyed it warily, which caused Tonks to laugh. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights?” She teased and I glared good naturedly down at her. 

“Not fond of climbing a ladder in skirts, no.” I retorted, which only caused her to laugh again and float up to the room, followed closely by Lupin. I rolled my eyes, deciding instead to apparate into the room. 

“That’s one way to do it.” Lupin replied with a chuckle, and Tonks elbowed him. 

“I like her.” I grinned, shaking my head as I took in the stuffy looking room. I wrinkled my nose, obviously not impressed. “The room hasn’t really been used in a few years,” She supplied. “I think people have become less interested in Prophecies.” I nodded, fully understanding why. 

“I don’t blame them. Luckily, I don’t know of any.” I replied with determination, pulling my wand from where it had been secured in my hair. The long white driftwood, with wampus hair core was wrapped delicately with rose gold wire, embedded in the handle was a single clear stone, flashed in the sunbeams as I cleared all the books forgotten as they were and stacked them on the desk, I opened all the windows, breathing in a sigh of relief as the dusty air was sucked out and replaced by clean, ivy smelling lake air. 

I could feel the energy in the room shifting, and as each flick of my wand allowed for more light and clean air to enter, the vibrations of the room changed from dark and disturbed to warm and inviting. I allowed the magic to do as it had been told, and started to walk around the room, examining what I had to work with. It was at this point that Lupin and Tonks took their leave, and I waved, feeling their energy. They were happy, and relieved. 

*~*~*  
Come sundown, I had cleaned up the room, and reorganized it to my liking, there were still things I was going to have to clean, but for now, my office was my next task. My raven, Crucible, preened his feathers on his small perch as I sorted my books, hoisting them into the air to find their place on the shelf until there was a knock on my door. “Yes?” I called, not turning until I heard it open. 

At the door was a young man, around my same age, carefully opening the door. “Professor (L/n)?” I smiled, nodding. 

“Yes! How can I help you?” He smiled brightly, clearing his throat as he adjusted his Professor’s robes. 

“I’m the Herbology Professor, Neville Longbottom.” I nodded, making a note of his name. “I’ve come to get you for dinner?” I turned my hand, looking at my watch and sucking in a breath. 

“Oh! Shit! Right.” I paused, flinching at my language. “Sorry.” He just laughed and shook his head. 

“Not a problem, come on then, I’ll walk you down.” I grabbed my wand, saying goodbye to Crucible who looked none too impressed at my departure and hurried after him, changing my robes to the more formal version as we walked. Professor Longbottom looked at me curiously as my waistcoat and Marron cape faded into place on my shoulders, and a small red felt cap appeared on top of my head, my hair pulled back into a twist where my wand was deposited. “We’ve never had an American Professor.” He commented, once again reminding me of how out of place I was. 

I shrugged, clearing my throat. “Then I suppose there’s no expectations?” I joked, then swallowed. “Or very big ones.” He placed his hands in his pockets, walking with long strides beside me. 

“You’re not the only one.” He said, nodding to a handsome young man who was speaking quietly with the Head Mistress. “Alright, Harry?” The man turned, and I felt a surge of recognition in my chest, but I wasn’t quite sure why. 

“Neville!” The two embraced, patting each other on the back. “I haven’t seen you since you left for the Amazon!” Neville shrugged, stepping back to give them space to speak 

“And what a trip that was.” He said with a laugh. “Tell you about it over supper?”

“Yes! Please.” He turned his attention to me, extending his hand as he quickly glanced over my uniform. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Harry.” I politely took his hand, and shook it. 

“(Y/n).” I supplied and he nodded. 

“Professor (L/n) is our new Divinations Master.” Harry paled a moment and it was then I realized who he was. 

“Like we need any more of those eh, Potter?” Neville joked, which seemed to break the tension

“Yes, alright.” He replied only slightly bitterly. “She can’t be much worse than Trelawney.” I felt a bit defensive at his teasing, but I realized that it was probably his way of coping. 

“Says you! You’re the one who’s gotta teach Dark Arts.” The two men joked with each other, leaving me to fall behind with Professor McGonagal as we walked into the great hall. 

“So, is that…?” 

“Harry Potter, yes.” She replied tiredly, yet fondly. 

“I thought he was an Auror?” She nodded once more. 

“He’s returned at my request, Hogwarts needs him, but really, I think he needs Hogwarts.” I smiled, nodding in agreement. We walked into the large dining area and I found my seat on the end, just to Harry’s left. The students milled about happily, and I tried to see if I could tell whom was who in regards to years, and then houses. The latter was easier than the former, and soon I was able to see just why everyone was sorted in the way they were. 

“Alright, (Y/n)?” Harry asked, turning to me when he realized I had been quiet for most of the time we had been waiting for the first year students to arrive. 

“Hmm?” I hummed, drawing my attention away from the two students in blue robes I saw exchanging books, a soft red glow emanating from their fingertips as they touched, I smiled. 

“Oh uhm, are you alright? You seem quiet.” I nodded, blinking at him to clear the auras from my eyes. 

“You see those two Ravenclaws, just there at the end of the table?” He nodded, leaning in to me at my clandestine tone. “They are soulmates, or at least, meant for each other.” He furrowed his brow looking at me curiously. 

“How’d you know?” He replied in a whisper, a small grin on his face at the innocent nature of what he most likely assumed was something of concern. 

“When their fingers touch, their aura turns red. Like the strings of fate glowing. You can tell a lot about someone by their auras. Red for love, green for money, blue for heartbreak, black for-”

“Death.” He said quickly, and I nodded, having gotten carried away in my explanation I had failed to filter. 

“Unfortunately. But thankfully I have seen that only a few times,” I placed a hand on his arm to calm what I could already see was subconscious tension. “And not once since I’ve been here.” I added, which caused him to relax and nod to me. 

The doors in the back of the room opened, and drew all our attention to where a large man was waddling in, followed by what looked like 25 terrified first years. I clasped my hands together eagerly, tapping my fingers in a quiet clap. They ushered in, coming to a group in the front of the hall, where the giant I now realized was Rubeus Hagrid left them, and joined the rest of the professors on the main dias. 

Here, McGonagal stood, walking towards the podium. “Good evening, to those of you returning to Hogwarts, welcome back, to those of you joining us for the first time, welcome home. We will have our sorting ceremony, place our new first years in the protective hands of your houses, and then we will begin our feast, let us begin!” The sorting hat was retrieved, sang its song, and one by one the children were sorted into their houses. Five to each, each table erupting in cheers as their house was called and the students' robes changed to reflect their new homes. I had a certain fondness for the Ravenclaw house, and found myself cheering when they were called. 

I heard Harry muttering to Neville after each house, some ‘You don’t say!’ or ‘No surprise there’, for each student. It made me smile, the Wizarding World here seemed so interconnected, but maybe that was because of the war, or because of who Harry was, whatever the case, it helped me to understand who was a shoe in for their house, and who wasn’t. Soon after however, all eyes turned on me, and it was seconds later I realized my name had been called, and McGonagal was motioning me to stand. 

“Students, this year, we have the privilege of allowing our third years to choose to attend our Divination classes, taught by our newest professor from our Sister school Ilvermorny in the United States.” I quickly stood to my feet, bowing my head slightly. She motioned me to speak and I cleared my throat. 

“Hello all! I look forward to being your professor this year, but I am also here as a mentor, should you ever find yourself in need of a friend, my doors are always open, chances are, I will already know you’re coming.” I grinned, and a few who caught the joke laughed, easing my nerves. I sat back down, and McGonagall smiled kindly at me, before magicking the food to the table and diverting all attention to the food. 

“That was smart.” Neville said with a laugh, obviously meaning it was funny. I was going to take a moment to learn the English terms for things, but I smiled anyway. “‘I’ll already know you’re coming’, riot.” He returned to his food and I sighed, happy to have made a good impression. 

*~*~*

The professor’s decided to gather in the professor’s common area after dinner, passing around a cask of whiskey and small cakes a Flying professor brought from a trip to Russia, of course, the conversation had turned to me quiet quickly. “So, you’re telling me that they had no idea you were a witch?” I shook my head, giggling as the tray of cakes floated past me. 

“Not a clue.” I replied with a laugh as Harry shook his head. 

“I know muggles can be daft but they really had no idea?” The flying professor, Ron, added from where he was leaning by the fire. 

“They thought it was normal that you talked of Unicorns and seeing fairies?” Harry said, tilting in his chair to turn to me. 

“Every kid my age saw Unicorns.” I replied shrugging. “And as far as they were concerned, it was the opposite parent leaving little treats for me around the house, they never thought to ask one another.” 

“Mental.” Neville scoffed, filling my glass with another bit of the whiskey. 

“How did they react when your owl came, then?” Harry asked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. 

I furrowed my brow. “Owl? You use owls?” They nodded, silently asking what we used in the Americas. “Well, Ravens of course!” As if knowing I was speaking of him, Crucible flew through the window, dropping a package into my lap and landed on the mantel, cawing at Ron making him jump and curse. 

“Bloody Hell! And I thought Errol was a menace.” I giggled, placing my cup down as I opened the paper wrapping. 

“He’s not a menace! Just talkative, we’re alike in that way, aren’t we Crucible!” That earned me another Caw and he flapped his large wings, taking off to return to his perch in my tower. 

“Bloody bird.” Ron said fondly, adjusting his stance now that Crucible wasn’t taking up most of the space. 

Harry just shook his head at his friend, turning his attention to my package, tilting his chin at it. “Go on, then.” I wasn’t expecting a package, but when I opened it my heart leapt to my throat. I pulled out the large crystal, a single hole passing through the body of the foggy surface. The confused faces of the wizards surrounding me made me laugh. 

“Not to be daft, but what is it?” Neville asked, looking to anyone who might be able to answer. 

“It’s called an Aruall.” I explained. “A friend of mine has been working on them back in Salem, down Witches Way, they’re supposed to make it easier to see Auras.” I passed it over to Neville, who held it up, looking through the hole. 

“Oh!” He said, obviously able to see the subtle colours of his friends around him. “Come look’it this Ron.” He said, handing it to his friend who did the same. As it made its way around the room, I read the small note attached. 

_To my lovely (Y/n),  
Your time will come soon, but until then, explore the world and let me know what I’m missing. Sending you the first official Aurall to help you see that maybe not everyone is the same._

_Yours,  
Angelica _

I smiled fondly, stuffing the note into my robes as the stone was passed back to me. “So, this is what you see all the time?” Harry asked, referencing our conversation pervious as he deposited it in my hand. 

“No, not all the time, only sometimes, and not to that degree. I only see the very strong ones, and only if I’m looking.” He nodded, then checked his watch before sighing. 

“If I want to check on Albus before his first night back I’d better go now.” Ron checked his own watch then nodded. 

“Yea, I promised Hermione I’d check on Rosie and send her a message tonight. Alright, Neville?” The third man yawned, nodding. 

“Yea, coming.” He drank back the last of his whiskey and I stood, collecting my things and draping my cloak over my shoulders. 

We went our separate ways, and I walked calmly down the hall, my wand held high with the _Lumos_ charm lighting the way. It was only when I heard sniffling that I paused, turning on my heel down a corridor that opened to the courtyards. I walked carefully, senses on high alert. I passed a ghost, a young girl who was crouched behind a pillar. She startled when she saw me, then sighed. 

“He won’t talk to me…” She said, her voice high and sad. I nodded, and she faded through a wall, leaving me for privacy. 

“Hello?” There was a gasp, and a shuffling of feet. I followed the sound, finding a boy, no older than 13 or 14 sitting in a ledge looking out into the courtyard. “Oh, hello.” I looked over the boy in green robes, his stark white hair contrasting so severely in the darkness. I dropped my wand, the light extinguishing as I carefully sat on the other side of the ledge, tilting my head to face him. “And who might you be?” 

He didn’t answer me, just glared out into the courtyard. I sighed, looking out at what he was seeing. I could sense the sadness rolling off him, the grief, the anger, confusion. I didn’t press him, not yet, just sat in the silence until he decided he wanted to answer my question. “Malfoy” He said quietly, almost so quietly I didn’t hear him. 

I smiled sweetly, turning back to him. “And does ‘Malfoy’ have a first name?” It wasn’t hard to know his name meant something, but his family name wasn’t sitting in the hallway, grieving the loss of someone, this young man was.

“Scorpius.” He said, almost surprised that anyone wanted to know who he was, and not his family. 

“Well, Scorpius, my name is Professor (L/n).” A small smile quirked on his face. “What’s got you so sad that you’ve decided to come share it with the trees?” I asked, feeling the energy of the trees reaching out to this poor boy, but the walls in his heart were so tall that they couldn’t get in. 

“My mother passed a year ago.” He admitted, and I felt my heart break. But he didn’t want pity, something told me that he had had enough of that for one day. 

“Hmm, yes, I suppose that’s a good thing to share with the trees, they’re good with that kind of thing you know.” He turned to look at me, drying his eyes with his robes as he did. 

“They are?” I nodded, happy that I was pulling him out of the dark slump he had fallen into. 

“Why do you think they plant them in Cemeteries and Graveyards?” He paused to think, shaking his head to indicate he didn’t know. “When a tree grows,” I held up my hand, an image of a tree appearing in a white-blue smoke. “You’ll find that its branches almost exactly match its roots, in size, shape, direction.” The tree expanded, a mirror image of itself. “This was thought of by the magic users of the past to represent this world, and the worlds beyond, how they directly mirror each other.”

The young man before me went wide eyed, looking very much like a little boy in the dim light of the charm. “So why did they plant them?” He asked, already curious as to the rest of my story. 

I smiled, allowing the charm to fade. “I think it was because we believed that if we talked so that the trees could hear us, then those we love could hear us too, because the trees would exactly pass on our messages to the other side.” His face lit up and he turned to a tree. “Go on, go try it.” I said nodding to the tree and lighting up my wand again, following him out to the tree. 

I gave him some space, letting him take a moment to himself before I heard his small voice speaking to the tree. I didn’t listen, instead I turned my face to the stars and sent a quiet prayer to the universe to hear him. He returned to my side, much calmer but still sad. It would take time, but he was young, all he had was time. “Do you think she heard me?”

“Did you say it with all your heart?” He nodded once. “Then yes, yes she did.” He smiled a watery smile and I felt his hug before I realized what he had done. I smiled, placing my free and on his back to hug him tightly. “Now, what house are you?” 

“Slytherin.” I turned, realizing moments later I had no idea where to go. “I’ll show you, Miss.” I smiled and nodded, letting him lead me as I escorted him back to his dormitory. As we walked down the halls of the castle, the silence between us was comfortable and I could feel the tension leaving his body as he returned to the calmness that was neutral. The dungeons were dark and cold, but Scorpius seemed just as home, and as he reached for the door leading to the Slytherin common room, he paused, turning to me. “Thank you, Professor.” I tilted my head. 

“Of course, I would never have expected you to walk back on your own-”

“I mean about being kind to me. Not a lot of people are.” I furrowed my brow, a sadness wafting over me. “They hear the name Malfoy and nothing else matters.” And with that he opened the door, and hurried inside. I sighed, watching the door close and lock behind him. The walk back to my quarters was quiet, and I walked mostly in the darkness, the only sound the clicking of my heels on the floor.


	2. Malfoy

It was breakfast the next morning when I was reading a newspaper from the Boston Ministry of Magic and having a cup of coffee when I heard a little tapping on the table next to me. A young girl, no older than 11 really, looked up at me with wide eyes. “Hello, there.” I said happily, and she shifted uneasily, her green robes looking just a little too big for her small body. 

“Professor, Malfoy said you can talk to trees?” I smiled and turned, facing her properly. 

“Well, maybe not with words, but I can try, what would you like to tell them?” She produced a letter, the black ink bleeding through the thin parchment. I took it from her, placing it down on the table beside me. 

“That’s for my Nan, she died last Christmas, and I want her to know that I got into Slytherin, just like her!” I nodded, promising I would bring it to the trees the next time I went. I felt eyes on me, and when I turned, Harry was watching me from one of the doorways. When he saw me see him, he approached, nodding to the letter. 

“What’s this then?” He asked kindly, thanking a house elf that handed him a cup of tea. 

“Letters to the trees of course.” I replied which obviously didn’t answer his question. 

“Remind me one day to introduce you to my friend Luna.” I nodded, and he joined me for breakfast, quietly flipping through a book as we ate. I found that in the two hours that I sat there, a few more students approached, some from each house, and deposited a letter on the growing stack. Some told me who they were reaching out to, others only hurried away after. Harry had an appreciative look on his face, starting to understand what it was that I was doing. 

After breakfast, I gathered my letters, and placed them safely in my robes and rose from my chair, making my way to the divination classroom. Once there, I placed them in a letterbox, and placed it on my desk to take out to the trees later. 

The class began to file in, taking their seats, some sitting within their house, others mingling between the three others. The boy I was speaking to the night before, Scorpius, sat near the back, in the corner, another boy with black hair sat beside him, the two of them trying to seem as invisible as possible. I nodded to him, and he smiled, nudging his friend who waved. 

“Good morning everyone! Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. You’re going to have to forgive me if I say some silly or strange things, or if my words don’t sound like yours, or if I have trouble with your names. I suppose I’ll start by calling roll?” I produced the list from the air and began calling out names, some surnames sparking memories in my mind of the wizarding war. I made special note of these children, most of whom stayed near the back of the class, and reminded myself of their first names. I firmly believed everyone should be known by their names first, and their families second.  
One girl raised her hand, her bright orange hair striking in the sea of black and blondes. “Excuse me Professor?” I nodded to her. 

“Yes! Rose…. Weasley?” I tried, to which she nodded happily. “Yes, Rose what can I do for you.” 

“My mother says divination is usually wrong, and that the future is always changing.” I flinched but tried not to let it show, instead, I walked to the board and grabbed a bit of chalk, and drew a singular point on the board. I had the rapt attention on me, and I cleared my throat. 

“Your mother is half right.” The students looked between each other. “The future is always changing. There are very few people whose future was determined, and very few who can never change their fate. But you can always influence it.” I walked around the desk, propping myself up on the front of it as I crossed my arms. “Can anyone tell me what a self fulfilling prophecy is?” 

A few hands raised, and I nodded to a girl in the front. “A prophecy that once a person knows about, inevitably makes choices that leads to that end.” I nodded. 

“Yes! Precisely, five points to Ravenclaw.” the girl grinned and I turned, placing another dot on the board. 

“Imagine this first dot is the day one asks a question through divination. If we say that this second dot, is the future that will come to pass if the querent makes no changes whatsoever to their current way of life, then this line,” I drew a line between them. “This line is the view in which we see the future.” They nodded, understanding so far. 

“But what if our Querent decides that they don’t like this answer.” I drew another dot up and to the right of the second one. “And they want this one. Can we see this future through this line?” they all said no. “Right! Now, tell me, how would we get from this current point to the one we want?” 

And like that I explained how choices can change our view of which we see the future. At the end of the day, I had students buzzing and talking about how choices lead to other realities, and other futures. I watched them all go with the energy of a hundred excited children discovering magic for the first time… I saw myself at 11, earning my letter to Ilvermorny. As I was sitting reading through the entrance slips that I had each of the students fill out, I heard Crucible call and turned as he flew through the window, dropping a package with a heavy thump on my desk, nearly spilling a pot of ink. 

“Watch yourself you lousy bird!” I teased, scratching the back of his head lovingly as he chirped. “But thank you.” He hopped away, resting on a perch as I unwrapped the book. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, wonderful!” I turned the page to the index, sliding my finger down until I found the ‘T’s and opened the page on Thestrals. I felt my heart drop and cleared my throat awkwardly.  
A knock on the door startled me and I jumped. “Professor?” 

“Scorpius! Come in!” I said, happy for the distraction. “Are you alright?” 

“I wanted to know when you were going down to give the letters to the trees.” I checked my watch. I had time. 

“What wonderful timing you have my friend.” His face lit up with a grin, and I saw another body shuffle into the doorway beside him. “Oh hello.” 

Scorpius stood to the side, and there stood another boy, the one from class before. “Professor, this is Albus, Albus Potter.” I smiled, looking between the boys. 

“Hello Albus!” He nodded shyly and I stood, taking the box of letters into my hand and tucked it under my arm. Crucible jumped from the perch and landed on my shoulder, his heavy body balancing me out, despite his feathers getting into my face. “Come on you two, let’s go on an adventure.” They grinned at each other then fell into step on either side of me. 

I didn’t know the grounds very well, but the boys did, so when I asked them where they thought we should go, they directed me to a tree by the lake, so large and inviting that you could sit and have lunch among the roots. The massive Ash tree loomed above us and I smiled fondly at it. Near the bottom of the tree, the three of us watched in awe as a cubby of sorts opened up in the bark, and presented a perfectly sized place to drop the letters. 

“Oh wow! Malfoy did you see that!?” The other boy nodded, too dumbstruck to say anything. I shrugged Crucible off my shoulder, and he flew up into the branches of the tree, watching from a distance. I placed the box on the dirt, opened it, and placed the first letter in the hollow. I soon followed it again and again with the next one, and when the box was empty, the hollow closed and a warm glow emanated from it. 

“Thank you, friend.” I said to the tree, placing my hand on the bark to feel its warmth. A sense of peace flowed over me and I smiled, pulling away. 

“Come now boys, I think this calls for a Pumpkin juice, what do you say?” They cheered and rushed ahead pushing and laughing with each other as they hurried towards the Great Hall, the sun dipping over the horizon. 

*~*~*  
Two months later, the snow had moved in swiftly and there was a light dusting on my shoulders and over the black wings of Crucible as I stood in front of the path that led down to the village of Hogsmeade. “Alright! Alright! Permission slips up please! If you are planning on going to Hogsmeade you need a permission slip, no ifs ands or buts, Mr. Thomas!” I called over the din of the gathered crowd. They weren’t listening, but just as I was about to use _Sonorus_ to amplify my voice, Crucible cawed loudly, startling them into sudden quiet. “Thank you, lovely.” I said, patting his head. “Now! Show me your slips and then away with you, go cause trouble.” I teased, causing all of them to laugh at my obvious joke. They knew I did not want them to cause trouble, but it was what I said at the end of every class, which really just meant to have fun, because when did anything fun _not_ cause trouble for the stiff adults that watched us?

As each one passed, I thanked them and smiled, greeting those I knew by name. Harry approached with Ron and Albus, and I greeted them kindly. “Are you coming with us, Professor?” Albus asked, and I sighed, considering it for a moment. 

“Oh I don’t know-” I was loaded down with a predictions assignment, and I had another star chart exam that I needed to grade. I was honestly looking forward to the quiet that the castle was going to fall into, planning on opening my windows and letting the cold winter air filter in. I was going to see if I couldn’t sit with Rowena Ravenclaw in her courtyard and speak with her about a conversation we had a few days prior: Whether or not she would be able to pass through to Ilvermorny via a painting. 

“Please Professor? I wanted to show you a book I found last time that you would like, my father sent me the last few Galleons to get it!” Scorpius said, pleading with me as he produced the coins in his hands. Harry chuckled and Ron sniffed, shaking his head at the scene before him.

“You heard the boy, (Y/n).” Harry chided. “Not much choice is there now?” I gave him a look and Ron only laughed. 

“We’ll grab a drink at the Three Broomsticks and then you can show the book to the Professor, yea?” Ron supplied, his hand leaving his pocket to place on the shoulder of his daughter, who had skipped up to him from the castle moments before. 

The kids nodded, then when Harry shooed them off, they took off to follow their friends. We turned and followed them, the snow crunching under our feet as we walked. “I’m going to kill you, Harry Potter.” I seethed jokingly, to which the men beside me both laughed. 

“You wouldn’t be the first to try.” He retorted and I scoffed, shoving him as he nearly slipped. The two had become good friends of mine, and their wives had become like sisters to me. Hermione, the Minister of Magic, had sent me book after book on Magic from the UK, and I had done the same about American Muggle History. Soon enough, Ginny Potter had joined the fray, and before I knew it we were all going to a quidditch match during the winter break, box seats of course.

The walk down was quiet besides some idle chit chat with other professors that caught up with us as we walked. Ron held the door open for me and I thanked him as I ducked inside, taking my jacket off and hanging it up on the peg before we sat in a seat. A waitress appeared at the end of the table, greeting the boys as an old friend, and began chatting with them quietly. She produced a stein of Butterbeer for the three of us, and we thanked her, ordering a plate of foods for the three of us to share as we drank. 

“Right, (Y/n). I’ve been thinking about this stone of yours since you’ve shown it to me.” Ron said, turning to look at me as he drank the first sip of his drink, a foam line appearing on his face. I nodded, waiting for his question. “You’ve said that you can see the auras and all of people without it, but the stone helps, so tell me, what do you see?” I looked around, and there was an overarching fog of joviality in the pub, but I could see little sparks of nerves, sadness, recognition. I cleared my throat. 

“I am nowhere near as good as Angelica, but I can feel differences more than see them.” Harry nodded in understanding. 

“That’s why the students more often than not find their way to you when Homesickness comes calling.” I nodded.

“That and I think of all the people around them, I’m the one who knows what it’s like to be so far from home.” Ron’s face fell slightly, and he and Harry shared a look. 

“How are you on that?” They asked, leaning forward on the table slightly. I shifted, uncomfortable. 

“I don’t leave the castle much, mostly because I don’t know where I’m going or where to go. And even if I did have an idea of where to go, I’ve never really felt like I belonged in the Wizarding World.” Harry smiled in sympathetic sadness. 

“Now that, I can understand.” I raised my glass in an awkward attempt at a toast and took a sip of my drink. 

“I don’t think they come to me because I can sense their emotions though.” I added, which caused both men to look at me in curiosity. “I think they come to me because of what I teach, they’ve experienced something in their lives, and there is a guilt there that if they had just… _known_ or seen it coming, maybe it wouldn’t have happened.” I made a point of looking at them both seriously as I spoke again. “But there has never been an oracle alive who has been able to see the future well enough to save us from the hurt our lives demand of us.” 

There was a silence that passed between them, and they shared a conversation with only their eyes and both took a drink at the same time. “Bloody Hell she sounds like Trelawny.” Ron said with a scoff, which earned him a glare, and me a small smile. 

“As long as she doesn’t read the grim in my tea cup I think she’s alright.” There was a clinking of bells on the door that had us turning to see Scorpius and Albus poking their head in and searching the room. Harry grumbled something about the bag of candy hanging off Albus’ arm, and Ron only snorted mentioning something about a lion. I wasn’t listening though, I was too busy finishing my drink and gathering my coat. 

“I’m coming boys!” I called, securing my scarf around my neck as I hurried around the table, and to the door, ushering them out of the pub and back into the cool air of the village. 

“Professor! Have you ever had an Every Flavour Jelly Bean?” Albus asked, his small gloved hand extending to me with many colourful beans. 

“I have not.” I replied honestly, but by the knowing grins of the children with me, I knew that I was treading a dangerous line of childhood pranks. “Is it really ‘every flavour’?” They nodded and I narrowed my eyes playfully at them, grabbing the most innocent looking of the beans, a bright red one, and popped it in my mouth. A sweet, jam flavour filled my sense and I grinned. “Oh, Strawberry Jam!” 

The kids groaned and glared at the box as if it had offended them. “How did you manage to get a nice one on your first try!?” Scorpius lamented, taking a bean for himself only to watch as his face twisted in disgust. “Oh nasty! Earthworm!” 

We all laughed as he coughed, spitting the bean to the ground. “Better luck next time Malfoy!” Rosie, who had been waiting outside the Three Broomsticks for us called, opening the door to the bookshop to allow us all to enter. 

The Children entered first, and I closed the door securely behind us as we all shook off the snow. “Come on professor!” Scorpius called, taking my hand in his as he led me down the rows of books to the section on divination. As we rounded the corner, a tall man in a dark black suit was standing in the corner, looking at a book from the Muggle History section -which I found insultingly small- Scorpius paused, then a wide grin broke out on his face. “Father!” The man turned and his defensive stance quickly morphed to confusion, then happiness as he placed his hand on the young boy’s head. “Father, this is Professor (L/n)!” 

I smiled kindly, dipping my head at him. “Hello Mr. Malfoy.” I said quietly, noticing with rapt curiosity how Albus was standing beside me, but Rosie would barely move beyond my skirts, the young girl watching the man with defensive limited trust. 

“Afternoon Professor.” He said politely, turning his attention back to his son. “What have you bought yourself, then.” He teased, nodding to the baggie from HoneyDukes. 

Scorpius produced a chocolate frog box, and placed it in his father’s hand. The man looked surprised, giving his son a look. “You can have it! I have plenty.” Mr. Malfoy nodded, smiling softly at his son, who then turned back to me and pointed to the book sitting on the shelf. “This is the book professor!” I followed his finger, pulling the green leather bound book from the shelf and let it fall open to whatever page it wanted. 

“The Magic of Dendromancy.” I smiled widely. “What a find, Scorpius! Ten points to Slytherin, bring that to class with you on Monday and we’ll have a proper look.” I handed him the book, patting his shoulder as he rushed with Albus and Rosie back to the front of the store to purchase it. I watched him happily, turning only when I heard a clearing of a throat beside me. 

“So you’re the professor who told my son he could speak to his dead mother through a tree.” I stiffened, my eyes going wide. 

“I’m sorry Mr. Malfoy, he just seemed so sad when I found him an-” he held up his hand, a dark green ring positioned on the middle finger flashing in the dim light of the lanterns floating around us. There was a patient look on his face. 

“He’s told me about how you talk to the castle ghosts as if they’re people.” I furrowed my brow in indignant defense. 

“They _are_ people.” I retorted and he only smiled, laughing slightly. “Or, rather… were I glared at his teasing look and folded my arms over my chest defensively. “What’s so funny.” 

“You remind me of my cousin, Luna.” My arms dropped and I sighed. 

“You’re the second person to say I remind them of this ‘Luna’ person.” 

“It’s a compliment.” He said finally, curling a massive book of ‘Muggle’ History under his arm. I nodded to it, my eyes flicking up to his. 

“Some light reading, Mr.Malfoy?” He seemed embarrassed, clearing his throat as he covered it with another book on jinxes and charms. 

“You could say that. Excuse me.” He brushed past me at that, weaving his way through the store to the front where the children had already paid for their book, and were crowding around it to read from the pages together. 

I followed him out a few moments later, checking my watch as I did. “Sorry to ruin the fun, but we’ve got to start heading back to the castle.” I said, extending my arms to herd them together. 

“But Professor!” Scorpius started, only to have his name hissed from behind me. I hadn’t heard the white haired man walk up behind me, but his son knew the warning in that tone and jumped. “Yes, father.” He replied disappointedly. 

“Go on and meet up with the rest of the crowd, Professor Weasley will be waiting.” They nodded, hurrying out and I placed the book I had snagged down on the counter, producing my pouch of coins, only to have that same ring covered hand dart out to cover mine. 

“Put it on my charge.” I felt a slight annoyance growing in my chest, but I took a breath, realizing that as much as there was a culture shock for me coming to the UK, there was another in the Wizarding World. They were much kinder here. 

“Of course Mr. Malfoy.” The keeper replied, taking my book to wrap it in paper. 

“You didn’t have to do that.” I objected, to which he didn’t look at me as he replied.

“Neither did you.” 

I left the shop feeling very conflicted and confused, I knew very little about the War. We really only knew what was published in the papers, but even that was fantastical and not really to be trusted. That and I wasn’t interested in the politics of a country hundreds of miles away, I was too busy with what was happening in my own backyard. That and trying to navigate a world I had never known before my 11th birthday completely alone. 

Yet, there seemed to be history I didn’t understand, and I felt very out of the loop. For instance, people seemed surprised to hear that I was a… what did they call them here? Muggles? A Muggle-born at Hogwarts.Harry and Ron had all but become my protectors, but if I asked why, they wouldn’t talk about it. Really only Neville had thought to mention that there was a time when being a Muggle at Hogwarts was dangerous, but even he didn’t want to talk about it. 

I wasn’t completely an idiot, I knew that the war was about blood supremacy, but that was all over wasn’t it? Even then, when history spoke about the war, it didn’t mention those on the wrong side, only about the heroes and those who had died in battle. If Mr.Malfoy had recognized the book I had grabbed _The Wizarding War of 1998_ he didn’t say anything. But his comment made me think that maybe he had, and he was apologizing in advance.


	3. Blessings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can the Muggle and Magic world coexist?

That evening, I was holed up in my office, a fire crackling calmly in the corner, Crucible perched cozily on the back of my chair as quiet music flitted through the air from my radio. I felt Lupin enter the room before he appeared. “Good evening Professor Lupin.” I said, just as he materialized before me. He had a sad look on his face and I tilted my head to look at him. “What is it?” 

He sighed, floating down to sit in the chair, or as best he could given his corporeal state. “So you’ve finally decided to read up on the war?” I looked down to the book in my hands, closing it in nervous shame. 

“Should I not?” He shook his head, sighing. 

“No, you should. You deserve to know, I can only imagine how little information was spread over to you in the States.” I shrugged.

“Not much, we were dealing with our own struggles with a wizard going to the no-mag world and nearly exposing us.” I rolled my eyes, remembering the mess that was Salem that October. “That and everything else that was happening in the No-mag world.” 

“I forget sometimes you’re a muggleborn.” I furrowed my brows, shifting back in the desk chair I was seated in. 

“Everyone here seems to be very surprised when they hear that, why is that?” It was a difficult question, but it was one I needed the answer to. 

“Many muggleborns left Hogwarts, or were even killed during the war. They’ve been hesitant to send their children back, and when they do well.” He sighed, rubbing his face. “Sometimes memories are better left forgotten.” I looked back to the book in my lap, running my finger along the hand painted cover. 

“Why do people hate the Malfoys?” The book had given me some indications, but a lot of it was name dropping so far, and who was related to who, or who killed who, and nothing really explained much other than that. Lupin’s eyes darted to mine, searching them for something. 

“The Malfoys were some of the Dark Lord’s fervent supporters.” I flinched, my blood going cold. Mr. Malfoy was a blood supremacist? Would he have killed me had he known? Would he have paid for the book? Is that why he did? “I stress the word _were_.” He insisted. “Scorpius Malfoy has been raised better, I believe, than his father before him.”

My heart felt heavy with sudden understanding of Scorpius’ burden. “He says people hate him, simply for his name.” I said sadly, and Lupin nodded. 

“And if I’m honest, I wouldn’t blame them.” My eyes widened in alarm, but he held up a hand to calm me. “That doesn’t make it right, but there is a lot of pain there, (Y/n). And it is going to take a lot more than a few years to heal all of it.” I sighed. 

“He’s just a boy.” I insisted, and he nodded. 

“That he is.” Lupin stood at that, “Which is why I have come to tell you, whatever you read, whatever you find in your research, never let that boy think he has lost a friend in you.” My heart clenched painfully. Was it so awful that it was a worry? Moreover, did my fellow professors not know enough about me to know that it would take a lot for me to turn my back on a child who needed me, regardless of the sins of his father?

*~*~*  
Monday came much sooner than I was anticipating, and my weekend had been filled with research on the war, my curiosity forcing me to delve so deeply into it that by the end of the last book, I very much believed I had been there myself. If anything, it solidified my resolve to not treat the Malfoy boy any differently than I would any other child. God knew he needed it. 

Scorpius was the first into my class Monday afternoon. His book on Dendromancy clutched excitedly in his arms. I smiled to him, waving as he positioned himself near the front of the class. Over the course of the term, he had slowly been making his way down to the front row, and throughout my class, I had seen more and more of the houses mixing until there was only barely a divide between them. My class had become a place of togetherness, and I was very proud of that. 

“Good Afternoon everyone! I hope you all had fun on your Hogsmeade trips!” They all chimed in with agreements and I nodded. “Well good, I want to start off today’s lecture with a new form of Divination, Dendromancy.” They hummed quietly, some knowing what that meant, others just excited. “Those of you who have given me letters to give to the trees know that Dendromancy is divination with the help of the trees. In order for us to ask the trees to work with us, we have to teach them that we are friends.” 

I pulled out my wand, waving it at the board as a chalk drawing of a large tree appeared, the branches waving in the wind. Magic never ceased to amaze me. “When we give letters to the trees, we are trusting them with our secrets, our desires, and our truths. The trees use this to grow, their own energy growing with our trust of them.” 

“Each of your wands was once a tree. We, as users of magic, have made an agreement with the trees that in exchange for their sacrifice to become our wands, we will use our magic for good.” There was a murmur in the room and I could feel the rising tension. “Now, there are some who have not done this, and there will always be those drawn to the Dark Arts, but that is why we, each of us in this room, has made the commitment to be good. Isn’t that right?” They all agreed, and I felt the calm returning to the room. 

“But, of those who don’t become wands, or used to build, we can ask of them to help us in many ways.” I flit my eyes over the crowd, landing on Scorpius. “Scorpius, why don’t you show the book you’ve found?” As he stood, I heard whispering coming from the back corner of the room, and my eyes landed on two Gryffindor students glaring at the young boy. They felt my eyes on them, and shrunk under my gaze. I didn’t like taking points from houses, but I would if I needed to, and they knew it. 

*~*~*

Classes for the rest of the week passed with relatively no incidents. There was a scare when someone’s star chart claimed they would die in one year, but when I had assured the student they would not, in fact die in the next 365 days, and that their map was just backwards, they calmed considerably.   
I was cleaning up the classroom after the last of the classes left when there was a hesitant knock on the wood of my door. “Come on in Scorpius! You know you don’t have to knock.” I looked up when there was no cheeky reply that I was so used to, to see a man I didn’t expect standing in the doorway, his hand on the knob, looking at me with a detached sort of confusion. “Oh, you’re not Scorpius.” I said quietly. 

“Decidedly not.” He replied, then cleared his throat. “I’m his father.” I stood up at that, clearing my throat and wiping my hands on my slacks. 

“Yes, I remember who you are Mr. Malfoy how can I help you, Sir?” I extended my hand to him and he looked to it a moment, then took my hand and shook it politely. 

“Please, Draco is fine.” I nodded once, then motioned to the seat in front of my desk nervously.

“How can I help you Draco?” He sat in the chair, his black suit an odd contrast between the bright colours I filled my office with. 

“I wanted to thank you, personally, for what you have done for my son.” The breath I didn’t know I was holding was released in a rush. “I meant to say something in Hogsmeade, but…” He didn’t finish the sentence, maybe because he didn’t know why he hadn’t said something.

“He’s a lovely boy, you should be very proud.” He smiled to himself, and nodded quietly. He was a shy man, or at least unsure. “Would you like some tea, Draco?” I asked, the pot already making its way over to pour me a cup. 

He nodded, sitting up straighter in the seat as it floated to him. “Yes, please. Thank you.” Once it was settled in his hand, he relaxed considerably and I tilted my head to watch him. “Scorpius has been...angry, and alone since his mother passed.” I expressed my condolences and he nodded accepting them. “But in his last letters, he told me about how you had been so kind to him, and about the letters, and the trees…” He smiled. “He very much likes the trees.” 

I blushed, hiding my face in the teacup. “I know what it's like to be disconnected from family, and sometimes all you need is someone to tell you that home is more than a place, but the people you surround yourself with.” 

“And how is that for you? Being American, here at Hogwarts.” I took a moment, considering his words. I wasn’t lonely, the other professors were kind enough, but I always felt like there was something I didn’t know, a secret I wasn’t privy to. 

“I suppose that’s just it, isn’t it?” He furrowed his brow, curious. “I’m an American at Hogwarts.” He understood then and nodded. “But then again, I was a… sorry what do you call them? Muggles?” He nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I was a Muggle born at Ilvermorny. I knew nothing about magic, no one in my family did, we were going at it blind.” I looked over to Crucible who was sleeping, his beak curled into his feathers. “So it’s always just been me and Crucible.” 

“You’re a Muggleborn?” There was a flash of something in his eyes, and in his tone, and with a twitch of my eyes I saw it fade, replaced instead by something else: shame. “I suppose I should apologize then.” My heart froze and I looked at him warily. “For what my father did… for what I did.” I had known bringing it up would elicit a response, I had no idea what it would be, but I needed to know.

I sighed, putting my teacup down and clasping my hands over my desk. “And I will tell you the same thing I said to every young Slytherin or Gryffindor who came into my office to release that same guilt: The wars of our fathers are not ours to bear.” I had learned very early in my research what exactly it meant to be a Muggle or Muggleborn during the war, I had also learned a bit about the Malfoy family from Harry and Ron, though they were less keen on answering me. There was a lot of tension there, and some of the children carried the weight of the past and their family’s mistakes on their young shoulders. I saw a lot of letters going to people that did not share names with the children sending them. 

Draco looked at me curiously. “You obviously know enough about the war now to know my family, and what I did-” I nodded, raising my hand to cut him off. He blinked in surprise. 

“Yes, and it is not my place to forgive you for others, but as far as I am concerned, and as far as Harry has told me, you are not as evil as you have convinced yourself you are.” Something crossed in his eyes at that, and I held out my hand to him, curling my fingers to motion for him to give me his hand. He placed the cup down and let his hand fall in mine, palm up. “You see this line?” He nodded, watching as my finger traced along his heart line, it was deep and wide. “This means your heart is healing, and trying so badly to fight against what it has been told to feel.” I traced against his head line. “And this line, here where it crosses the heart line, shows me that what your mind was forcing you to do, was constantly at war with what your heart was saying to do.” I lifted my finger, and drew a start, then a circle around it, the sigil appearing in the air before it faded. 

“What was that?” He asked, pulling his hand away from me, turning his hand as the glow faded. 

“A blessing.” I responded quietly. “You are constantly afraid that you will break anything you touch.” His eyes snapped to mine, startled that I had read that about him, but when he remembered where he was it seemed to sooth him. “So I made a blessing that for once you will see the good that comes from you.” He looked back down to his hand, then up at me as if I had just told him the secrets to the universe. 

“Thank you.” I smiled, shrugging as I leaned back. 

“It’s time you saw the good in the world, Draco. There is so very much of it.” I watched as he retrieved his teacup, trying not to think about the red glow that had appeared the moment his hand had touched mine. 

*~*~*

Breakfast that Sunday morning hadn’t interested me, nothing did, if I was honest. It had been American Thanksgiving the Thursday past, and the house elves had done what they could to make me feel at home, but it still felt hollow. The spirits of the castle knew something was wrong when the door to my office was closed, and the Divination classroom was quite aside from the whistling of the unusually warm wind around the castle. An elf by the name of Lenora was sitting across from me in the alcove, her swindly fingers tapping her chin as she attempted to play a game of checkers with me it wasn’t the normal, magical games that they were used to, it was Muggle checkers, and she was desperately trying to outsmart my strategy I had honed for many years. 

I wasn’t paying much attention though, I was staring out over the black lake, trying to manifest that I would see a boat, or carriage, and it would be carrying my family. It was futile though, they would never come here, they wouldn’t be able to find it. They wouldn’t be able to use the portkey on their own, and if it was still as messed up as it was when I came over, they’d end up in Siberia before they got here. I sighed deeply. “(Y/n) (L/n) knows she is loved here, doesn’t she?” I looked up, startled by the sound of her voice in the once silent room.

“Oh I know Lenora, I guess I just forget sometimes when I feel so homesick.” The elf nodded, then moved her checkers pieces. I jumped her, flipping my coin over. She swore and I laughed. 

“(Y/n) (L/n) is cheating.” she said in mock seriousness. I stuck my tongue out, but didn’t feel like teasing her back like I normally did. I appreciated what she was doing, however, she was trying to make me smile, at least a little more. 

“Lenora, would you mind?” We both turned confused as to who was speaking, and I felt guilty when I noticed Harry standing at the door. I watched as a cat trotted from the room, knowing Professor McGonagal’s Animagus form anywhere. 

“Oh of course Harry Potter.” She said accommodatingly, probably happy she didn’t have to finish the game. She hopped off the ledge and padded away, her Hogwarts uniform brushing along the floor as she did. He watched her go, then took her place on the ledge. 

“I’m rotten company, Harry.” I said, not really wanting to look at him. I hated pity, but knew that I probably warranted it. 

“Well, that’s why I’m here, actually.” I looked to him at this, furrowing my brow. “Ginny had the bright idea that we all go into London for the tree lighting, and I know that you’ve never been, so I want to extend the invitation of my family to you.” My heart swelled and I sputtered, not really knowing what to say. “No one deserves to spend the holidays alone, so, if you’d like. You are more than welcome to spend them with the Potters.” 

“Oi, and the Weasleys.” Another voice chimed in from the door, Ron was standing with his back against the doorframe, his winter jacket bundled around him. “Bloody freezing in ‘ere by the way.” I giggled, pulling my wand from my hair and casting _incindio_ to the fireplace where it burst to life, the room filling with warmth once again. 

“That’s more like it.” Harry said quietly, and I smiled sadly as he pat my shoulder, standing to welcome Ron in. “How could I forget the Weasleys?” Their conversation devolved into a grumble of speech that even I had a hard time understanding despite spending nearly four months in the UK. 

“Did you need something Ron?” I asked, realizing that he wouldn’t come up here for nothing. 

He looked up at me and shrugged. “Naw, McGonagall said you weren’t in the best of moods so I came to give you something.” I furrowed my brow, looking down at his hand where he offered me a little gadget, wrapped in a purple and gold wrapping, a large golden W on it. “My brother’s Fred and George sent it over when they heard that you’d been having a go of it.” I took it from his hand, unwrapping the treat to see it was a Duck Boat, with the same colours and designs on the sides as the wrapping. Inside was a miniature George Washington, Paul Revere, and what looked like…

“Is that Tom Brady?” I scoffed, shaking my head at the toy. It had to have been the most cliche Boston Theme thing I had seen in a long time. And it was absolutely perfect. Ron grinned, offering a bag of candy to Harry, who took a handful without even hesitating. 

“Fred just got back from a convention over there, so he designed it specially for you.” I smiled, holding the trinket to my chest. 

“Tell him I love it, won’t you?” Harry smiled. 

“Tell him yourself when we go to Diagon Alley.” My eyes went wide with wonder. 

“We’re going to Diagon Alley?” I had been meaning to go, but like I had said, I hadn’t the time nor the reason to go, and I was wary of going by myself. 

“Albus has ripped his quidditch robes, so we’ve made an appointment to get them fixed.” Harry sighed and Ron groaned in a brotherly way. “I swear, the boy’s going to go through more robes than me.” 

“From the stories I’ve heard that’d be a record.” I chirped, causing both men to turn and smile brightly. My funk was gone, and I magicked a change of clothes, both of them blinking in surprise. “What?”

“I feel like you’ve just changed in front of me.” Ron said, averting his eyes but I knew he was teasing. I had managed to figure out that trick when I was 16 and tired of my mother forcing me to wear clothing I found uncomfortable when I came home from school in the summer and for the holidays. So in the back of the car to different events I’d change. She couldn’t yell at me if we were already there. 

“You’re just jealous.” I retorted, to which he nodded and Harry smirked mentioning something about the Yule ball. Crucible sensing we were about to leave flew to my shoulder, landing with a heavy thump. 

“Isn’t he going to attract attention in the Muggle World?” Ron asked, nodding to the bird as we made our way out of the room and down the ladder. 

“Don’t worry,” I pulled out my wand, transfiguring him into a broach that sat on my lapel. “No issues.” The boys looked between each other and smiled. 

“Some of the things you come up with, amaze me.” Harry said as we made our way down the shifting staircases. 

“I was the only Muggleborn in my town, and the only witch in my family. I wasn’t allowed to bring my wand home from school, so I had to figure out wandless magic. And with that I figured out what I could do _with_ my wand. The only place I really don’t have to hide is Salem. Muggles will see someone wearing robes and just assume we’re wiccans.” I giggled, shrugging as we held onto the railing, letting the stairs shift to bring us to the main hall. 

“I’ve never been.” They both said at the same time and I snickered, patting their shoulders as we descended the last staircase. 

“Well, maybe next holiday you both can come visit.” They agreed excitedly, already trying to figure out when they’d have the time. The remainder of the walk to the Hogwarts Express was filled with children happily clamouring with their friends, excited to finally be going home for the holiday season. Harry and Ron’s children had found them quickly, but soon after had found their own compartment and ran off as we made our way to the Professor’s car and slipped into a compartment of our own. It was still early afternoon, so there was plenty of time to get back to London in time for the tree lighting. 

I pulled a book out from my bag, flipping to the page I was on while Harry and Ron watched a video of a Quidditch match on his phone. It was so odd to me, to come from the almost ancient world of the Castle to modernity with one simple tool. I shook my head, smiling fondly before delving into the world of my novel.


End file.
